As a Portland Rainmaker for 17 years, and a past president, on behalf of all of us retired Rainmakers, kudos to Portland Parks & Recreation for its efforts. It has been several years since the Rainmakers last watered that tree, with the assistance of then-Mayor Bud Clark.

The tree's recent theft supports current suspicion that the treacherous leprechauns have become even more cunning, daring and, yes, even stronger than before. The mere fact they are able to dart back and forth across the busy roadway and steal away in the middle of the night unobserved speaks volumes of their wily ways. We all know there are a few bad apples in every bushel. We are just thankful the Portland Police Bureau chose to not erase this crime against the community.

I am certain that if Mike Schrunk was still in office he would prosecute these dastardly culprits to the fullest.

MAURY WILSON Ridgefield, Wash.

Death penalty and drones

Letter writer Bob Christman ("Death penalties," March 13) equates the potential use of drone strikes to kill Americans with the death penalty.

Christman would do well to study our rule of law and realize that before anyone is executed via the death penalty, he or she is entitled to indictment by a grand jury, arrest, trial -- which includes facing and challenging evidence and witnesses -- conviction, sentencing by a judge and the right to file an appeal.

This is a totally different process than having anonymous people decide to use a drone to kill an American citizen based on allegations or assumptions, and certainly without having a chance to dispute any of the "proof" that he or she has done anything illegal.

In my opinion, the use of this technology smacks of something so totally un-American that any proponent who is an elected official should insist that punishment may only follow a conviction.

ANNE N. STACEY Southeast Portland

Ballot disclaimers

Regarding The Oregonian's editorial "OEA: Why go halfway?" (March 14): If Multnomah County Elections intends to alert voters with a fiscally conservative "editorial note" on our ballots, such as "CONTAINS VOTE ON PROPOSED TAX INCREASE," then it should go all the way and also include this alert, "CONTAINS VOTE ON PROPOSED SOCIETAL BENEFITS," or not include either one.

TIMME A. HELZER North Portland

Obsolete road laws

A message to the Legislature: In the past two days, I've discovered, by witnessing other motorists, that you can drive past school buses with their flashing red lights. (Somehow I did not get rear-ended or honked at when I stopped, but several cars passed me too.)

As a suggestion, let's streamline our law book and eliminate this useless law. After all, nobody is following it or enforcing it. And there are dozens of other useless laws, too, such as the law that says trucks and campers must use the right lane, turn signal laws, crosswalk laws and, of course, any law that applies to a cyclist.

ERIK HALSTEAD Tigard

Wind tax credits

While reading about the tax credits for Shepherd's Flat wind farm ("One project, indivisible," March 10), I asked this question: Who is minding the store for the state? My thought could apply to government at the federal, county and city levels also.

Remember the fiasco over Oregon's emergency radio network several years ago? It's the same thing all over again.

DICK BLASHILL Southeast Portland

PERS benefits

Public employees are at least as committed to our state as other Oregonians. I favor PERS employees' contributing to helping local schools by a reduction in PERS retirement benefits. The public employees affected agreed to perform work in the past in exchange for a future payout. Other organizations -- construction companies, consultants, highway contractors, and others who performed services for state or local governments -- were paid at the time of their service. It is hard for me to understand why those PERS employees who gave the state what it desired, a deferred payment, should now be penalized, while those who insisted on payment at the time of service are able to keep the full payments received.

I suggest that all state of Oregon and public contracts over the past 30 years be examined. Every company or individual that did business with any public entity should be retroactively taxed at a percentage equivalent to the amount to be confiscated from PERS employees. This should solve our long-term school budget problems and will be fair to everyone.

Every entity that did business with any state or local government will share in helping our schools. What could be fairer than that?

JOHN S. SATHER Lake Oswego

On behalf of current and future generations of Oregonians, thanks to retired Oregon Supreme Court Justice W. Michael Gillette for researching the law that allows, but does not specify the amount of, the cost-of-living adjustment in PERS ("A legal case for fixing PERS," Editorial, March 13).

Now, I hope someone will figure out how to eliminate other abuses, such as counting unused sick pay to determine the amount of the basic benefit.

Finally, I hope our elected representatives will have the guts to do something about an unsustainable and fiscally crippling PERS.